Originally published Mar 24/21 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

The fact that our recycling program depends on the use of plastic bags is an inconsistency in our focus on being environmentally friendly that I struggle with. Here are three thoughts about them.

First, there are a couple of options that significantly reduce the use of plastic bags.

Loose materials collected in reusable containers in homes can be placed in the blue cart bins at the Recycling Centre. This is the only place for loose materials.

Recyclables can be placed in closed cardboard boxes and dropped off at the Centre or the trailer by Canadian Tire. The boxes will be recycled. Closed boxes will also be picked up by curbside services.

Second, plastic bags that are tied shut are necessary when the blue cart bins at the Centre or closed boxes are not used. This reduces the mess at the recycling trailer and the Centre. They make it quicker and easier for staff move and process the recyclables.

It is best to use bags you can see through to ensure the contents are recyclables and not garbage.
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Third, I wish more people in Flin Flon would use the red bag curbside pickup service.

This would reduce the mess at the trailer by Canadian Tire and the amount of time our staff needs to empty it.

Anyone who decides to use this service on Wednesday mornings should call the Recycling Centre so we can adjust the route if necessary.

The cost is only $3.50 for one red bag. Two more bags or closed boxes of recyclables and any flattened cardboard boxes will be picked up as well. (Note: The price of red bags was reduced to $2.75 beginning May 1, 2021)
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Bags are available at Eddies, Coop, Gas Bar, Super K, Pharmasave and the Recycling Centre. 

Originally published Mar 10/21 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Information about what is recyclable and what isn’t and how to get recyclables to the Centre is key to a successful recycling program.

In recent times the internet has become a quick valuable source of information. The Recycling Centre uses its website and Facebook pages to make information available this way.

Other ways we use to get recycling information to households and businesses are a sign by Hapnot Collegiate, radio announcements and this newspaper column.

We love to answer questions by telephone, email (recycled@mymts.net), Facebook comments and messaging through texts (204 271-4385) and Messenger.

The Leisure Show has been a great place to give information and answer questions in the past. We will have a booth at the next one whenever public health and safety allows.

This spring we are using an old-fashioned method to get the information out.

The plan is to have a two-page flier in mail boxes in the next month. This flier has pictures of the general categories of common household recyclable materials and a comprehensive list of what is not recyclable.

The third page describes how and where to recycle other common items and information about recycling in each community.

This flier provides useful information to all kind of recyclers. Those who are dedicated will have a list to refer to. Those who are recycling but know they can do more have information on how to move forward. Those who are not yet recycling will have the information needed to get started.
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We know recycling is making a difference.  It reduces the space and costs of landfills, reduces greenhouse gases and reduces the resources we need to take from the Earth. 

Originally published Mar 3/21 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

There is a lot of concern about how much plastic ends up in landfills and the environment. It has been reported that the vast majority of it is not recycled.

I have questioned these numbers as it seems we recycle a lot of plastic.

There are two basic kinds of plastic: rigid like plastic containers and film like plastic bags.

I questioned the statistics as our recycling program recycles rigid plastic containers numbered one to seven with the exception of six (PS).  Most containers are #1(PETE), #2(HDPE) and #5(PP) which are very recyclable.

Very few recycling programs accept film plastic. 

I started paying attention to the garbage/recycling created in our home and the statistics became much more believable.

I realized that film plastic is the majority of the plastic leftovers from daily activities.

A lot of food comes in plastic bags. Meat is on non-recyclable (#6) Styrofoam trays. Boxes have plastic bag liners. Many other non-food items are in bags or wrapped in plastic film.

Film plastic protects food from contamination and items from being damaged. It is used to make things easier to handle.

My very unscientific observations have led to the realization that the amount of film plastics is the reason so much plastic waste is not recycled.  

I have thought about other kinds of packaging that could be used instead of film plastic. There are not a lot of options that I am aware of with the exception of reusable shopping bags.
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Film plastic presents a couple of opportunities for innovation: find a way to recycle it easily and develop new products that provide the same protection and convenience and are easily reused or recycled.    

Originally published Feb 24/21 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.


There are twelve industry stewardship organizations in Manitoba that provide programs and financial support for the recycling of their products after they have been used up. Manitoba requires these industries to be responsible for the ‘end of life’ disposal costs.
 
The Health Products Stewardship Association (HPSA) is the organization responsible for the safe collection and disposal of consumer health products. 
 
Manitoba passed the regulation requiring this program in 2011.
 
Participating pharmacies have been accepting old or unused prescription medications, over the counter medications and supplements for almost 10 years.
 
All the pharmacies in Flin Flon are participating.
 
The program is very easy to access. Medications and supplements that are old or not needed can simply be dropped off at any pharmacy even if they were not purchased there.
 
It is best to return items with as little packaging as possible.
 
It is important for safety to remove old or unused medications from homes. This prevents accidental poisonings, or medications being used for non-medical purposes. 
 
The HPSA program has recently expanded to provide sharps containers for anyone who needs one. The containers can be picked up from pharmacies. People put the sharps in the container and return them to the pharmacy. 
 
All sharps must be in the containers before they are brought to the pharmacy.
 
Pharmacies collect and ship these items for safe disposal. The costs are covered by the HPSA.
 
The Primary Health Care Centre in Flin Flon also accepts sharps in a closed container. It can be a container designed for sharps or any kind of closed container like a pop bottle with a lid.
 
Sharps should not be put in recycling bins or sent to the Recycling Centre.

Originally published Feb 17/21 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Composting is form of recycling that can be completed in our community. It takes care of 30-40% of waste and the new material can be put to good use.  

Plant waste such as vegetable peels, grass clippings, leaves, garden waste, and wood chips can be composted. The result is a soil fertilizer that is better than chemicals.

Compost adds a wide variety of nutrients and micro-organisms to soil. It doesn’t wash away and helps keep the soil moist.

A compost pile can be created in your back yard with or without a bin. There are a variety of bins that can be bought or built.

The process takes a few months to a year or more, depending on how much attention it receives and how much ‘greens’ and ‘browns’ are in the mix.

Greens are vegetable and fruit scraps (fresh, cooked, or canned), coffee grounds/filters, tea leaves/bags, garden waste, fresh weeds without seeds, fresh grass clippings which are rich in nitrogen.

Browns are dry leaves, straw, dry hay, sawdust, woodchips from untreated wood, twigs, dried grass clippings, dried weeds without seeds, shredded paper napkins, tissue paper which are rich in carbon.

Eggshells, plain rice and pasta, bread, hair, wool, cotton can also be composted.
 
A layer of black dirt will get the compost started. Mixing in browns and keeping it moist but not too wet will keep it from smelling.

The compost will work faster if it is stirred regularly which can be weekly to every month.

Meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, oily foods, bones, pet waste, weeds with mature seeds, plants infected with disease, plastic/petroleum products, metals, synthetic materials cannot be composted.
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More information is available at http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/composting-basics-and-getting-started/. 

Originally published Feb 10/21 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Two online events are the inspiration this week.

The first was a virtual waste management conference in BC. Presentations focused on the changes the single use plastics ban announced by the federal government will bring.

Removing the single use plastics that pollute oceans and harm wild life is a good thing. Like many things however, several new issues arise. The topics included ‘what will replace single use plastics’ and ‘what problems will they create for recyclers’.

One problem with single use plastics is they are not recyclable.

Many of the new single use items being designed are compostable. This creates another problem for recyclers.

Compostable does not mean recyclable. They must be ‘recycled’ in a compost pile.

The second event was a webinar I attended about municipal composting. It was mentioned that the temperature inside the big piles of composting materials stays between 45 and 60 degrees Celsius even in the winter.

The connection between the two topics of discussion is this: compostable items such as plastic bags, eating utensils and coffee cup lids need a large composting facility.
I speak from experience.

We received a box of compostable coffee cup lids a couple of summers ago. I decided to put some in my compost pile. I’m glad I put just one package in. It took more than a summer for them to disappear into the black compost.

A small compost pile has lower temperatures and freezes in winter so compostable items take a long time to break down.

Composting large amounts of these new items will only be successful in large composting facilities. Otherwise, they will be garbage.

There are only ten licensed large-scale compost facilities in Manitoba. We need more.  

July total – 51,644 kg
       
        Aluminum – 969 kg
        Commingled* - 9,535 kg
        Office Paper – 5,318 kg
        Cardboard – 30,055 kg
        Glass – 4,999 kg
        Books –   768 kg
        Other plastics –

Total for 2021 – 332,655 kg
Total for 2020 – 302,812 kg
Difference – +29,843 kg
 
Batteries –21 kg

* Co-mingled is unsorted materials sent to Winnipeg for sorting


Comments – 

June total – 47,283 kg
       
        Aluminum – 593 kg
        Commingled* - 10,972 kg
        Office Paper – 4,690 kg
        Cardboard – 25,663 kg
        Glass – 4,164 kg
        Books –   1,000 kg
       

Total for 2021 – 281,011 kg
Total for 2020 – 251,668 kg
Difference – +29,343 kg

 
Batteries –51

* Co-mingled is unsorted materials sent to Winnipeg for sorting


Comments – 

​May total – 50, 868 kg
       
        Aluminum – 692 kg
        Commingled* - 12,244 kg
        Office Paper – 5,272 kg
        Cardboard – 26,909 kg
        Glass – 4,917 kg
        Books –   838 kg
       

Total for 2021 – 233,728 kg
Total for 2020 – 201,807 kg
Difference – +31,841 kg


E – waste – 10.02 metric tons
 
Batteries –130 kg

* Co-mingled is unsorted materials sent to Winnipeg for sorting


Comments – 

April total – 50, 259 kg
       
        Aluminum – 587 kg
        Commingled* - 11,318 kg
        Office Paper – 6,401 kg
        Cardboard – 28,398 kg
        Glass – 3,832 kg
        

Total for 2021 – 182,960 kg
Total for 2020 – 157,579 kg
Difference – +25,381 kg


Batteries –39 kg

* Co-mingled is unsorted materials sent to Winnipeg for sorting


Comments –